CEBU, Philippines — At least eight stations will be established for the volunteers that will show up to clean the longest river in Cebu City – the Guadalupe River – on Saturday.
The stations from Barangay Sapangdaku down to Barangays Pasil and Ermita will be in Sandayong Bridge, Haarlemmermeer City Bridge, M. Velez Bridge, B. Rodriguez Bridge, P. Del Rosario Bridge, Guadalupe Bridge, Sanciangko Bridge, and Topaz Bridge.
“This will be the last cleanup sa three major rivers nga among gi-implement nga initial nga cleanup. Prepared na tanan ug mas madali na kay naanad na ang mga tao apil ang mga volunteers,” Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office Head Ma. Nida Cabrera told The FREEMAN.
Cabrera said she is expecting to gather around 5,000 volunteers from schools, barangays, two fraternities, and 80 establishments along the river that will hopefully show up to join the city and the Environmental Management Bureau-7 and other stakeholders.
Guadalupe River spans 42 kilometers but Cabrera said the cleanup will focus on its downstream which would be just about 20 kilometers.
Last February 23, at least 22 tons of garbage were collected by over 1,500 volunteers along the 11-kilometer Bulacao River.
Last March 9, at least 25 tons of garbage were collected by over 2,000 volunteers along the 16 to 17-kilometer Lahug River.
Cabrera believed that there will be more garbage that will be collected along the Guadalupe River because there is no water flowing from its upstream.
“Naa may huwaw, walay uwan pa gyud maong ang mga basura naa ra gyud na sa sapa,” she said.
As this developed, Cabrera said her staff will continue the profiling in Bulacao River and Lahug River for the households that do not have septic tanks.
Initially, there are over 100 households along the Bulacao River that do not have septic tanks while over 50 households are identified along the Lahug River.
Cabrera said the city government and the Metropolitan Cebu Water District will purchase and put up septic tanks for the households that cannot afford.
After the cleanup, CENRO will organize the community to ensure that they will be responsible to keep the rivers clean, she said.
There will also be information and education campaign for the communities on how to manage their wastes, she added.
Cabrera also said that barangay environmental officers will start issuing citation tickets to anyone caught throwing waste water and garbage into the rivers.
City Ordinance No. 2398 or the Septage Management Ordinance prohibits the construction of residential, commercial, industrial or institutional buildings without toilet facilities.
In the ordinance, those who will be found violating will be penalized P1,000 for the first offense; P3,000 for the second offense; and P5,000 with imprisonment of not less than one month nor more than six months or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court for the third offense.
Cabrera said she decided to provide the households septic tank to ensure that the waste water will not be thrown into the river.
Initial canvass showed that a septic tank that can accommodate at least three families can be bought at P250,000,
Last year, she said the city’s septage management board has collected P12 million out of the registration and accreditation of the septic haulers and other entities.
Cabrera said she will ask the executive department to allow her to use the budget to purchase septic tanks. — GAN (FREEMAN)